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A Blog for those who have fun with science fiction, popular culture etc. I'll be following, movies and TV. Especially fond of 12 Monkeys, The X-Files, Orphan Black, Fringe, Dr. Who, James Bond, and the like.

Sleepy Hollow - The Wicked Wet Lady!

If you recall, my last blog post about Sleepy Hollow began with a bit of a rant about the "freak of the week" monster. I complained how we'd just get some funky monster that was relatively easy to deal with and the next thing you know we'd be getting the teaser for the next episode. Ta da, freak conquered!

So what do we get this week? Another freak!

Ah, but this one was different. This one was actually organic to the greater mythology of the series. And therefore I welcome this monster.

How was it organic?

Henry.

Yes, Henry, in his never ending pursuit to lash out against his parents. This time we find out he went a little overboard. More on that later. But first, just look at the picture above. John Noble delivers the line with such verve. It reminded me of his Walter Bishop days and his childlike propensity towards getting high.

So fun!

This week's freak also had depth in that it had an attachment towards Ichabod Crane. Mary Wells was once a would be paramour to Ichabod and she was spurned much like poor Caroline was in the beginning of the episode. This must have been especially painful for Crane in that he had to keep these women at arms length while he waited for Katrina to return to him. Their would-be affections towards him caught him off balance and when he was forced to rebuff them, the consequences for each turned quite deadly.

A heavy weight to bear indeed.

I have to say the nature of this freak (sorry Mary) was quite delightful also. (I'm starting to sound like John Noble now, aren't I?) The gauzy laced blackness of her watery shroud was chilling. Mary accentuated her dreary appearance with languorous sobs and wretched weeping. As she approached her victims she had the sad countenance of something that had been lying face down in the muck for about, oh, 200 plus years.

I loved it.

Her particular evil "superpower" was to draw her prey beneath the icy surface of the local river and this could happen anywhere as seen in the library picture above. If you were lucky enough to break the surface you would find yourself miles away from where you were drawn away. Very nice.

Further gravity was added to Mary's plight when it was found that Katrina had a hand in her demise. It was accidental but Katrina compounded the torment to Mary's lost soul when the true memory of her sad ending was hidden from Ichabod and this led to Mary's eternal suffering.

(Earlier in the season I also ranted that Sleepy Hollow had divested itself with the issues of trust between partners. Forget that now, mistrust abounds!)

Further poignancy was added when the issues of trust were applied to Henry Parrish. In his zeal to act out against his parents he managed to disaffect the being he now refers to as "Father."

Moloch was not pleased when he found out Henry had acted on his own.

The Road to Redemption

Sohow does this fit in with my theory that Henry will be redeemed by the end of this season?

As I cited earlier in this post, Henry was particularly gratified in his efforts to offend his parents. It was like he was some spoiled child eager to snub his nose and get their attention.

Yes, get their attention.

As much as Henry professes his disdain for Ichabod and Katrina he can't help himself for being obsessed with them. Like any spoiled child he is eager to please even to the extant that he acts like a little brat. He was roundly scolded by Moloch and in the end his parents had sussed out his plan and defeated it.

If you look at the immediate above image we find Henry dejected and alone. Legs splayed like a infant and sent to his room to sob in his isolation.

Henry doesn't take failure well. Nor does he accept the indignation of a disappointed parent. (In this case, Moloch.)

If Henry stays true to form he will unleash his puerile wrath against Moloch much as he did to Ichabod and Katrina. He will invent abandonment and turn his ire towards his new father.

This will represent a turning point of sorts. He will continue to seek the approval of Moloch but, painfully chastened, I feel his attention towards his birth parents will soften somewhat as he will seek new allies if Moloch's disaffection becomes too harsh.

Comments

I watched this episode, and it was not so bad. Henry does indeed appear to be playing the "spoiled brat". You know, I'm finding it difficult to get invested in Sleepy Hollow lately and I'm sad about that because it's an interesting premise. But the characters of Abbie and Katrina don't really interest me much. Abbie's sister is interesting, and of course both Ichabod and Henry are great. I have MUCH more respect for the actor playing Ichabod, because the character is a "good" character with very few important flaws. Henry has lots of toys to play with in that department to keep the character interesting, but Ichabod could be SO dull in the hands of the wrong person. He isn't.

No matter what situation Abby is in, she is always the same and never really changes or grows, one way or the other. Katrina is, well, I don't know why she is difficult to like or hate (I don't really care what happens to her). The guy who used to be the police chief is more interesting. Henry is great but something is missing, and I'm not sure what.

What exactly am I missing, Dave? Why don't I care as much as I should? (except for Ichabod of course. He is easy to care about....)

I'll say it right here and now Ingrid, Katrina has got to go. She was fine as a flashback character (or stuck in Purgatory) but now that she is in the present I don't feel the need for her. And they really haven't created any dramatic tension between her and Ichabod this season. In fact, her inclusion has drained the dramatic tension from Crane and Abbie.

The "Mulder and Scully" vibe that Crane and Abbie had in season one was such a fun aspect to the show and the fact that it crossed racial lines was fascinating and courageous. They've hinted at it here and there, most recently when Caroline "caught" them together, but otherwise it has been a missing staple.

I love "Miss Jenny" because she is such a wild card and completely bad ass. Her flirtation with Hawley is face palm inducing however. He's a cipher so I am not feeling it there. He should go too. Unless, of course, they have the same plan for him as I do.

Ah I think you're right. It's the "Mulder/Scully" aspect that is missing from the Crane and Abby relation. Katrina is meaningless in the present, does not give any motivation to Crane (even if it is supposed to), and I think the mother/son/Katrina/Henry fails completely.

Strangely, the Headless Horseman doesn't feel so wasted - he, at least, is a more complex character. He could succeed as an interesting character even without Katrina - Henry could be enough.

Anyway, I guess we'll see what happens. Are you giving Intruders another try?

Yes, I think the Mother/Son component of the Katrina/Henry dynamic is supposed to be crucial but I'm not really feeling it. The nascent "romance" between Abraham and Katrina is a lot more fascinating.

Speaking of the Horseman, did you catch that one particular scene where the Horseman stood between Crane and Katrina? Depending on the perspective, we would view the Horseman as headless when seen from Crane's eyes and with noggin when Katrina looked at him. I quite enjoyed that.

No go on Intruders. I don't have the time yet. Perhaps over the Winter break.

Just a quick note a few hours before the next ep that I liked this one much better too. The watery effects were really cool and I liked how the freak tied into the mythology. So what of Katrina being a vessel? Already birthed one horseman, will she have another by headless? I'm for anything that drives a wedge between her and Ich, his blind devotion to her is irritating given all she's lied about. I like that the ever competent Ich did not know something this time (CPR) and was quite helpless to save a drowned Abby. He has to have some limits and this was a good wake up call. I think you are right on Henry. Rebellion suits him and Moloch is a pretty over-bearing dad. I don't know that him rebelling against Moloch equates to redemption though. He may simply seek a greater evil to please. Looking forward to tonight's ep, Lynne

Henry's rebelling against Moloch will open the path to redemption. Consider it a wake up call. It doesn't equate directly to redemption but it will serve as an eye opener for Henry so he can see the evil he has done.

Nice catch about Ichabod not knowing CPR. They need to retain more of his 18th century self. I don't want him updated to quickly. That would ruin his "fish out of water" status.